WP 2020-76 Ecosystem accounting in support of the transition to sustainable societies – the case for a parsimonious and inclusive measurement of ecosystem condition

ABSTRACT

The development of ecosystem accounting systems at national levels to complete current wealth indicators with robust information on ecosystem degradation or enhancement is a crucial challenge, recognized in international strategies. However, the methodologies remain under development building, at the global level, on an experimental ecosystem accounting framework (the SEEA-EEA). Building on this framework and current academic discussions, this article aims at proposing a methodological advance for aligning the SEEA-EEA with the needs of ecosystem management and the principles of strong sustainability. It consists in structuring ecosystem condition measurement into a parsimonious and inclusive set of characteristics, indicators and reference levels with an explicit and inclusive value basis. This sets the grounds for the development of sound and policy-relevant ecosystem monitoring systems and the production of meaningful macro-aggregate indicators of ecosystem degradation at national levels.